TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: Complaints of restricted water supply have come to the fore in the commercial capital in the last few days, with PWD’s production and distribution divisions engaged in a blame game over the water scarcity.
Areas like Gogol Housing Board, Malbhat and other areas of the city have been receiving restricted water in the last few days.
While the PWD division with jurisdiction over Salcete taluka says they have been receiving restricted supply from the Selaulim plant, senior PWD engineers looking after the Selaulim water supply division attributed the problem to the distribution system in the city.
“We have been operating all the eight water pumps at the Selaulim water treatment plant. Around 188 MLD of water was supplied from the plant, just four MLD less than the normal supply,” Executive Engineer Paranjapee maintained.
Replying to a question, he said if Margao is receiving 102-104 MLD of water everyday, it should be distributed judiciously by the distribution network. “We cannot be blamed when all the eight pumps are operating to its optimum capacity. Water supplied should be distributed judiciously given the situation,” he added.
Margao PWD officials however pointed out that the city’s water requirement is around 115 to 120 MLD but it has been receiving around 102 to 104 MLD every day in the last 15 days. “Our division is not producing water. We only distribute what we receive from the supplying division,” the official remarked, expressing helplessness in the matter.
While Malbhat area near Hari Mandir had been receiving restricted water over the last few days, residents of Housing Board, Gogol, have complained of water scarcity for the last two days.
A resident, Urfan Mulla, Congress minority cell secretary, said residents of the locality where he is staying have not received water for the last two days. “Though there’s been restricted water supply in the last few days, the situation has turned from bad to worse in the last two days,” he said, while warning of an agitation if the situation does not improve by Thursday.
